Mythic creatures
This page is dedicated to finding matches between mythological creatures from Earth and Warcraft species. Insert a new species using the following formula: Title (mythic beast, NOT the Warcraft name!) Earth mythology: the culture, tradition, or region. Corresponding Warcraft Species: Quote: a reference from something published explaination/analysis Please keep the list alphabeticly ordered. If you wish to debate wether or not something typed is a true match, mention it in the disscussion page in the matching section. Do not debate on the main page. You may discreetly put a link to this page on pages this page is linked to. Angel Mythology: Greek (original term), Persian (specific idea), Judeo-Christian (modern conception) Corresponding Warcraft Species: Naaru, Elune *"Hmmm... what to use? A little knowledge is a dangerous thing? No, too obvious... Evil beware the word of God? Ah, YES! Let Evil beware the weight of the Word of God!"- St. Hypatia of Alexandria, after slaying a demon with a Bible in The Shadow of the Lion by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, and Dave Freer The Greek angelos simply means "messenger." Technically, any number of minor gods, namely Iris, Iole, Nemesis and Nike, were messengers from the gods, though it must be noted that they were deities in their own right. A similar, but radically different, tradition, emerges in Zoroastrianism, the ancient religion of Persia. Here, angelic beings, ranging from mortals to gods, fought the Evil One, Angra Mainyu, by teaching humans how to live in accordance with the Light. This conception of angels, along with the word itself, was borrowed by the Jews who returned to the Holy Land. The idea became the modern cultural image of protectors and warriors who protected mankind against the Devil, in much the same way the Naaru defend mortal races from Sargeras. Many gods act in a similar way to angels, as protectors or guradians (Isis, Horus, Zeus, Athena, Vishnu, Shiva, Amaterasu, etc.) Basilisk Mythology: Greek Corresponding Warcraft species: Basilisk Quote: Dragons, A natural history, by Dr. Karl Shuker, p.96. "In early times, on of the most feared monsters...was the basilisk...hailed as the king of serpents. Upon its head it bore...three white tubercles. It could kill the largest animal and split asunder the biggest boulder with a single glance from its deadly eyes." The Basilisk is extremely popular in most forms of fantasy (a large number of readers will recognize the major antagonist from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, one of the most accurate interpretations), in some cases as a tradition snake, in others as a sort of lizard. The creation of a Basilisk was a sort of magickal ritual- the species was not thought to breed naturally. The Basilisk's gaze is (in most versions) deadly to all but a very few. Chimera Mythology: Greek Corresponding Warcraft species: Chimera The Chimera's appearance is a source of debate, as descriptions merely claim it to be part goat, part serpent, and part lion. The most traditional representations have paint the Chimera as a lion with a snake for a tail and a goat's head sprouting from its back. All the heads could apparently breathe flame. There was only one Chimera in Greek Mythology, where it is the nemesis of the hero Bellerophon. The hero (like almost all of them, a son of Zeus) exploited the Chimera's one weakness- its inability to fly- and killed it from the back of the winged horse, Pegasus. The word "chimera" today usually refers to something blending the features of several different animals. The two-headed, draconic creatures who have allied themselves with the Night Elves fit more closely with this definition. Demon Mythology: All Corresponding Warcraft species: Demon, Eredar (Burning Legion), Dreadlords, etc. The word "demon" applies to anything evil, hideous or antagonistic that seeks to consume, destroy, or otherwise make life miserable. They are found in all cultures in some form or another. Ironically, the original Greek, daemon simply means "spirit," with no specific evil connotations- encountering an agathos daemon was a good thing. Images of demons are as varied as the cultures they come from, so there is no one image that could have inspired the minions of the Burning Legion. The Doomguard are the traditional horned, winged demon the West is used to, while the Eredar bear a closer resemblance to the near-human denizens of Hell in Egypt and the Far East (probably a coincidence, as everything else about them is purely a creation of Blizzard). The Nathrezim may have been inspired by the Nephilim who appear in the Bible- aside from the name, they appear similar to the traditional interpretation of Nephilim in other fantasy. Dragon Mythology: Most Earth cultures, including but not limited to Shinto, Chinese, Hindu, Persian, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek. Corresponding Warcraft species: Dragon Aspects, the Dragonflights Wyvern Mythology: European Corresponding Warcraft species: Wyvern Dwarf Mythology: Germanic, Norse (Viking) Corresponding Warcraft species: Dwarf Elf Mythology: Germanic, Norse (Viking), Celtic Corresponding Warcraft species: Night Elf, High Elf, Blood Elf Gnome Mythology: Germanic, Norse (Viking), Celtic, etc. Corresponding Warcraft species: Gnome Griffin Mythology: Greek (Minoan, Mycenaean, Classical), European (Medieval), Persian Corresponding Warcraft species: Gryphon Goddess Mythology: All Corresponding Warcraft species: Elune, the Earthmother *"Whatever you call God, be certain that She is listening."- Raven Krikwood, from Guardian of the Vision by Irene Radford Human reverence of the feminine side of things goes back farther than the conception of a male deity. Even after the multitude of male gods were introduced, the females never relinquished their power. Elune has no direct correspondence to any Earth goddesses. The lunar deities of Ancient Greece, namely Artemis or Selene, are the closest in appearance and symbolism. As with any fantasy goddess, there is no small dash of Isis in Elune's temprement. The Earthmother of Tauren religion, however, is simpler to identify: the term is actually used by mythologists in a professional setting to describe Mother Earth figures. Gorgon Mythology: Greek Corresponding Warcraft species: Naga Sea Witch Wikipedia: Gorgons. "In Greek mythology, the Gorgons ("terrible" or, according to some, "loud-roaring") were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes." Of course, the Naga were inspired by the Naga/Nagini mythos of India, but the Sea Witch hero is clearly seen to have serpentine hair. Gorgons were said to be so ugly that any living thing to look upon their faces would turn to stone. The one exception was Medusa, who was simply cursed with the stony gaze, despite her facial beauty. It is erroneous to regard "Gorgon" and "Medusa" as synonyms. These are from the Greek myths, particularly that of Perseus. Hippogriff Mythology: Greek, Medieval (French) Corresponding Warcraft species: Hippogriff Kobold Mythology: Germanic, Norse (Viking) Corresponding Warcraft species: Kobold Naga Mythology: Hindu, Buddhist, Central and South Asia Corresponding Warcraft species: the Naga The legends reference Naga living high atop mountains and deep in caverns, but the majority of them live... in underwater cities, where races of enslaved fish-people serve the Naga, whose prowess in sorcery is surpassed only by the gods themselves. The Naga and their females, the Nagini, took many forms: human-headed serpents, multi-headed serpents, humans with the heads of serpents, and of course, a serpent with the head and torso of a human. Female Naga (Sea Witches, Sirens, and Summoners), properly called Nagini, have four arms, a direct refence to many of the Hindu pantheon, the Devas, namely Kali, Vishnu, and Shiva, who have four arms in most iconography. Quetzalcoatl Mythology: Toltec, Olmec, Maya, Aztec Corresponding Warcraft species: Couatl Salamander Mythology: N/A Corresponding Warcraft species: Salamander Dragons, A natural history, by Dr. Karl Shuker, p.110-112. "Resembling a somewhat doglike lizard, the salamander... was so cold that, simply by stepping into a fire, it could imediatly extingusih the flames. During the middle ages, the salamander underwent a profound evolutionary transformation. It became a creature that activly amid blazing fires." The biological Salamander on Earth is a harmless family of amphibians, the same class of beings as frogs and toads. Mythologically, as seen above, numerous powers were attributed to it, either being so cold or so hot. Satyr Mythology: Greek Corresponding Warcraft species: Satyr Titan Mythology: Greek Corresponding Warcraft species: the Titans The third and greatest offspring of Gaia, the earth and Ouranos, the sky, the Titans were the divine rulers of the early Greek universe. Their world was both a Golden Age and a Living Hell- though everyone prospered under their rule, they were cruel, unyeilding, and bloodthirsty. Eventually, their children, the Gods, overthrew them in a horrible war the shook the foundations of the Underworld. The Gods may not have been the kindest of rulers, and their time was hardly prosperous, but mortal man worshipped them for fear that the Titans might return The only correlation between the Titans of Greek mythology and the Titans of Warcraft Lore is the size- they are both races of giants. In terms of temperament, there is a complete shift. Aesir of Asgard Mythology: Norse (Viking) Corresponding Warcraft species: Aesir Titans Not giants at all, but only slightly taller than humans, the Aesir were the primary gods of the Norse pantheon. They inhabited the realm of Asgard high in the boughs of the world tree, Yggdrasil. The most famous Aesir were Odin and Thor. Odin Allfather The basis of Aman'Thul the Highfather. Odin was the ruler of the Aesir (and most other people, actually) by virtue of being the father of most of them (hence, "Allfather). Odin wielded a spear that produced lightning. Vanir of Vanarheim Mythology: Norse (Viking) Corresponding Warcraft species: Vanir Titans The Vanir, of a reasonable height, were the second-most powerful race of gods in the Norse religion. Their realm, Vanarheim, was higher than Midgard (Earth) but lower than Asgard on the World Tree. The distinction between Vanir and Aesir has never been made clear apart from the location of their homes, and with the exception of a single war, the two races are staunch allies. In fact, three Vanir- Njord, Freyr, and Freyja- were counted among the greatest of the Aesir. To mortals, and in religious practice, there was no real reason to differentiate. Troll Mythology: Germanic, Norse, Celtic, etc. Corresponding Warcraft species: Trolls